The Transportation Futures Project: Planning for Technology Change

Abstract

After a long period of system deployment of the auto-highway system, and several decades of maturity of that system, the surface transportation sector is facing a large number of technological shifts that could change whether and how people travel. While nascent, their prospects are potentially significant. This research proposed to explore these technologies - ascertain their potential market, consider their interactions, understand what that might do to travel demands, and address how planning and forecasting should respond. This research developed a series of white papers: high-level policy briefs based on our analysis of each technology, its direction, and its implications for Minnesota. This work extends and complements the MnDOT 50 year vision expressed in Minnesota GO. It also builds on the ideas developed in the NCHRP 750 project: Strategic Issues Facing Transportation. The timeframe on these technologies varies, and the authors looked at deployment paths over time rather than simple snapshots in time.